June 4, 2020
Having Sex? Take a Shower, Wear a Mask & Don't Kiss
READ TIME: 2 MIN.
With a new normal coming to be, how does the culture handle sexual contact?
In Britain yesterday, the second phase of the nation's re-opening prohibited having strangers into a home – a ruling that in effect makes those who hook-up in someone's domicile liable to fines. (In the first phase, only the traveling partner was fined.)
Today a report from researchers at Harvard University "found that having sex could spread coronavirus, and recommends that couples take preventative measures in the bedroom - including wearing face masks," The report also suggests such preventative measures as showering before and after sex, avoiding kissing, and cleaning of the space with soap and alcohol afterward.
On the lowest end of the scale in terms of COVID-19 infection is abstinence, followed by masturbation; on the other end is sex with those outside the household that are determined to be "high risk."
The study" s="" researcher,="" Dr.="" Jack="" Turban,="" acknowledges="" that="" "complete="" abstinence="" from="" in-person="" sexual="" activity="" is="" not="" an="" achievable="" goal.="" In="" these="" situations,="" having="" sex="" with="" persons="" with="" whom="" they="" are="" self-quarantining="" is="" the="" safest="" approach."
The study, though, doesn't suggest long-term abstinence is a solution. "Some groups, including sexual and gender minority (SGM) communities, may be particularly vulnerable to sexual stigma, given the historical trauma of other pandemics, such as AIDS.
"Abstinence recommendations may conjure memories of the widespread stigmatization of SGM people during the AIDS crisis," the report concludes. "For the population at large, a recommendation of long-term sexual abstinence is unlikely to be effective, given the well-documented failures of abstinence-based public health interventions and their likelihood to promote shame."
To read the complete report,
